The Rover 1.8 Head Gasket issue
Discussion
The 1.8 Rover engine is well-known for it's head gasket problems. My question is, is the repair of this particular problem any greater than any average HG replacement? I know there is an upgrade which involves replacing the bolts with studs or something similar, but if you know your way around a bag of spanners, is replacing the HG on this particular engine going to cause any great amount of grief?
Having spent a long time this afternoon de-GSDing the interior of my FFRR, I'm toying with the idea of buying a dog wagon. Anything which will take one (or possibly two
) GSDs will do but there are quite a few Freelanders kicking around on eBay with failed HGs for not much more than weigh-in money; could I resurrect one of these easily enough?
Having spent a long time this afternoon de-GSDing the interior of my FFRR, I'm toying with the idea of buying a dog wagon. Anything which will take one (or possibly two
) GSDs will do but there are quite a few Freelanders kicking around on eBay with failed HGs for not much more than weigh-in money; could I resurrect one of these easily enough?It's much the same as replacing the head gasket on any other OHC engine. Certainly doable in a day if you're a competent DIYer. You'd probably want to make sure the liner heights are right while you're at it, replace the plastic dowels with steel ones, etc.
Edited by kambites on Sunday 6th January 21:47
CAPP0 said:
but there are quite a few Freelanders kicking around on eBay with failed HGs for not much more than weigh-in money; could I resurrect one of these easily enough?
Depends how far they drove it after te gasket failed to be honest. Mine was brought back to life fairly easily.Had a moment last week where i thought mine was going..
but it was the expansion cap.
apparently there treated like consumables so change it straight away for peace of mind
( i got x2 so i have one spare )
this way you dont slowly loose all your coolant and cook your engine leading to HGF
but it was the expansion cap.
apparently there treated like consumables so change it straight away for peace of mind
( i got x2 so i have one spare )
this way you dont slowly loose all your coolant and cook your engine leading to HGF
Yep, just get the uprated stainless steel MLS gasket and associated parts and you'll have a K series engine that's as reliable as any other engine out there!
Can't say I've heard of the stud conversion personally, but I'm still using the long bolts on mine and there's no problem. Also had a cambelt and waterpump fitted too when my ZRs HG started to let go last summer. it's a really really easy engine to work on though and the HG can be fixed with some half decent parts around £150.
Rik
Can't say I've heard of the stud conversion personally, but I'm still using the long bolts on mine and there's no problem. Also had a cambelt and waterpump fitted too when my ZRs HG started to let go last summer. it's a really really easy engine to work on though and the HG can be fixed with some half decent parts around £150.
Rik
RikZR said:
Yep, just get the uprated stainless steel MLS gasket and associated parts and you'll have a K series engine that's as reliable as any other engine out there!
Depends on the liner heights - the MLS gasket is thicker than an elastomer one so if the liners are low, it can make things worse. I thinkthe upgrades they do for the K Series to prevent further HG faliure was use of a slightly better Inlet Manifold Gasket - either Payen or MGR, whichmade a slightly better sealing one towards the end of production, a PRT Thermostat and uprated lower oil rail are said to be good upgrades for the engine
kambites said:
RikZR said:
Yep, just get the uprated stainless steel MLS gasket and associated parts and you'll have a K series engine that's as reliable as any other engine out there!
Depends on the liner heights - the MLS gasket is thicker than an elastomer one so if the liners are low, it can make things worse. If you can find one that hasn't been driven until destruction, it's a very cheap fix for a diyer.
Make sure you fix the cause of the overheating that blew the head gasket. Replace water-pump and cam-belt, also check the operation of the cooling fans and check the cooling system for leaks and replace the coolant cap.
Alternatively, buy a kv6 that's loosing water. It's mis diagnosed as hgf but it is almost certainly the thermostat that's leaking, changing the thermostat yourself will cost £40-70.
Make sure you fix the cause of the overheating that blew the head gasket. Replace water-pump and cam-belt, also check the operation of the cooling fans and check the cooling system for leaks and replace the coolant cap.
Alternatively, buy a kv6 that's loosing water. It's mis diagnosed as hgf but it is almost certainly the thermostat that's leaking, changing the thermostat yourself will cost £40-70.
Edited by Meths on Sunday 6th January 22:09
CAPP0 said:
Hmm, sounds interesting, I guess the gamble is on whether/how the previous owner noticed or reacted to the problem in the first place then!
What's the worst-case scenario (short of complete replacement engine!)/
It's likely to be either complete replacement engine (didn't notice or didn't care about overheating and let engine run dry until it exploded), or relatively OK (noticed overheat and stopped using engine before major damage).What's the worst-case scenario (short of complete replacement engine!)/
In-between these two extremes is warped head which may need skimmed. Depends how quickly they caught the HGF, really.
CAPP0 said:
Hmm, sounds interesting, I guess the gamble is on whether/how the previous owner noticed or reacted to the problem in the first place then!
What's the worst-case scenario (short of complete replacement engine!)/
New head due to warping and/or porousness would probably be most likely if it's been run hot but not so far as to kill the engine completely. What's the worst-case scenario (short of complete replacement engine!)/
CAPP0 said:
Thanks! Sounds like a fair proposition, adding a few cars to my eBay watch list then!
Okay, sounds fair! Just don't be put off by the anti Rover K series brigade! The engine really is quite simple and easy to work on, and as its made of aluminium the bits are nice and light which helps a lot! 
Good luck!
Its a very easy job. Just remember a few things. Never have the head skimmed as they are no good afterwards, check with a straight edge and if its warped bin it and source a good second hand one, never turn the engine with the head of, it unseats the liners (engine shagged), use the very best gasket you can buy I always use Payens multilayer steel, while the engine is apart replace the thermostat (much easier with head off), always use a good inlet manifold gasket not a £1.99 fleabay job, replace timing belt and tensioner and waterpump (get a genuine water pump as pattern ones are not good and the water pump is often the cause of the head gasket failure anyway) always use new head bolts, replace the expansion cap regularly, make sure both faces are spotless and do not use any sealant, make sure you bleed the system properly as they are very prone to airlocking. Finally make sure you only use the pink O.A.T anitfreeze which should be mixed 50/50 with water. Oh and never put K seal in even as a precautionary measure. If you look after the cooling system you will have no problems. My wife has a 2002 Rover 45 from about 19,000 miles now on over 90,000 and not a single issue, in fact its been faultless.
It also depends on who 'fixes' your HG. Our MGF Trophy had HGF early last year and cost me £1200 - but I did ask them to replace the underfloor coolant pipes with new SS ones.
However, less than 2 months later, when I decided to really upgrade the engine, the guys at the specialist garage rang me to say the HG was still losing water! Transpired the first garage didn't skim the head enough, and this was the result, from an 8 week old HG:
It has been fine since though, and generates 167bhp on the RR. But that's not enough for me. I have bought a brand new VVC 160 cylinder head, brand new inlet manifold and all new part, Omega forged pistons and forged con rods and an Emerald ECU - which will be put in later this year, as the head will be ported and polished and fitted with a Piper 270 exhaust cam - and I shall be using Evans waterless coolant, as it suits the convoluted cooling system a better - the first HGF was due to a faulty £5 coolant cap!
Making sure the cooling system is up to scratch is vital with the K-Series - no point having the HG replaced if you fail to find the cause - I changed everything, just to be sure...
However, less than 2 months later, when I decided to really upgrade the engine, the guys at the specialist garage rang me to say the HG was still losing water! Transpired the first garage didn't skim the head enough, and this was the result, from an 8 week old HG:
It has been fine since though, and generates 167bhp on the RR. But that's not enough for me. I have bought a brand new VVC 160 cylinder head, brand new inlet manifold and all new part, Omega forged pistons and forged con rods and an Emerald ECU - which will be put in later this year, as the head will be ported and polished and fitted with a Piper 270 exhaust cam - and I shall be using Evans waterless coolant, as it suits the convoluted cooling system a better - the first HGF was due to a faulty £5 coolant cap!
Making sure the cooling system is up to scratch is vital with the K-Series - no point having the HG replaced if you fail to find the cause - I changed everything, just to be sure...
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff